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As of the end of April 2024, Albania's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has invested a total of 557 million Lek (approximately 5.7 million Euros) under the Drainage and Irrigation Infrastructure program, BalkanEningeer.com has learned from Albaniadailynews.com. The entire scope of the program until the end of 2024 envisages a budget of 2.55 billion lek (about 25 million euros), and its aim is to improve drainage and irrigation systems, which are critical for agricultural production.
The financial report shows that spending in the first four months of 2024 was 26.77% of the ministry's total real budget, demonstrating a strong start in meeting Albania's infrastructure goals for the year.
Key investments are aimed at maintaining and improving the irrigation infrastructure to support the current irrigation season, including the maintenance and operation of primary irrigation canals such as Pechin - Kavadze, which serves the municipalities of Pechin, Rrogozhina and Kawai, and also the Naun - Panji and Polis canals - Tudan in Elbasan and the irrigation branches connected to the Tana Reservoir in Lushne.
In the same period, large-scale work was also launched to clean the main drainage channels and ensure the continuous operation of 27 water pumps, which are essential for the drainage of approximately 70,000 ha in the western lowlands, a vital area for agriculture in Albania.
The 2024 budget covers a total of 78 projects focused on irrigation, drainage infrastructure, flood protection and hydropower. Of these, 23 are underway from 2023. Among the new 55 projects, 27 are municipal, and the remaining 23 belong to the line ministry.
Photo source: canva.com